Tag Archive for Scalia

Booby Hatch

Happy April Fools Day! Speaking of fools…

Nothing demonstrates the foolishness of the GOP’s obstructionism of President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland more than Utah Senator Orrin ‘Booby’ Hatch’s response. This man said in 2010(in the opening that went to Elena Kagan) that he would be a “consensus nominee” and that there was “no question” he would be confirmed.  Even before President Obama revealed his choice recently, Hatch said “The president told me several times he’s going to name a moderate [to fill the court vacancy], but I don’t believe him. [Obama] could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man. He probably won’t do that because this appointment is about the election. So I’m pretty sure he’ll name someone the [liberal Democratic base] wants.”

Well, President Obama named Garland as his nominee and now Hatch is backpedaling making all kinds of lame-ass excuses for obstructing the nomination. Here’s another weak one. Has this man no sense of decency? Former justice Sandra Day O’Connor has said that the Senate needs “get on with it” and moderate Maine Senator has also said as much. She said she even reread the Constitution just to make sure.

Surely this will reflect badly on the Republicans come election time, right? Well, one look at the Republican frontrunner will tell you; it’s not an April Fools Day prank. The Republicans have lost their frigging minds.

Utah Senator Orrin 'Booby' Hatch courageously weasels his way out of his earlier endorsement of Merrick Garland as the new Supreme Court justice nominee by boldly creating lame-ass excuses and other feeble distractions.

Utah Senator Orrin ‘Booby’ Hatch courageously weasels his way out of his earlier endorsement of Merrick Garland as the new Supreme Court justice nominee by boldly creating lame-ass excuses and other feeble distractions.

 

Jiggery Pokery

The big news this past weekend was that Supreme Court justice, Antonin Scalia, died while on vacation in West Texas. We know it’s bad taste to speak ill of the dead, but Scalia was one of the worst justices ever. The Citizens United vs the FEC and the McCutcheon vs the FEC decisions, which pretty much legitimized the United States as a corporate oligarchy, were two of the worst in the past 100 years and it was because of Scalia and his four conservative activist cohorts on the bench. The news of Scalia’s death was barely even announced over the wires and the Republican crybabies were already whining, crying and politicizing the event. Even the clowns at the Republican Con-a-thon 2016 debate made an issue about it Saturday night.

And why were they crying? Because that’s what modern conservative Republicans do? Well…yes… but also because thanks to a little thing called the Constitution, President Obama gets to select the next Supreme Court Justice, who will most likely lean to the left, thus disrupting the conservative’s hold on the Supreme Court ever since good ol’ Dubya appointed Roberts and Alito to the bench during his term as President. This has upset conservative Republicans so much, that some are suggesting foul play in Scalia’s death, even though the cause was listed as a heart attack from natural causes.

The Senate Republicans have all claimed that the next President should appoint the Supreme Court justice, which will politicize the upcoming election, which may work to the conservative Republican’s advantage. They have also vowed to obstruct any selection Obama makes which may work against the Republicans in the election.

There is precedence here. In 1988, which was an election year,  President St. Ronald Reagan appointed Anthony Kennedy to the bench and called for “prompt hearings conducted in the spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship.”

There’s also the U.S. Constitution which states quite clearly in Article 2, Section 2, Clause 2:

He[the President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.”

Since Barack Obama’s second term as President doesn’t end until January 20th 2017, that means he’s still President and he “shall appoint Judges of the Supreme Court”. NOW!!!! Even former justice Sandra Day O’Connor has spoken up and said that the Senate needs to put on their big boy pants and do this. It’s interesting that Republicans like Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell, who claim to worship the Constitution, conveniently ignore it when it appears they’ll not get what they want…like the goddamn little crybabies they are.

Whiny, sucky GOP crybabies are throwing a temper tantrum because President Obama wants to do his job and appoint a new Supreme Court justice.

Whiny, sucky GOP crybabies are throwing a temper tantrum because President Obama wants to do his job and appoint a new Supreme Court justice.

The Supreme CON

The big news this past week was definitely the passing of the Affordable Care Act(ACA) a.k.a. Obamacare, which should be good news for all Americans, especially those who don’t have any insurance. Surprisingly, the ACA was passed as being constitutional by a 5-4 vote. Even more shocking though was that it was Chief Justice John Roberts who cast the deciding vote instead of the usual swing voter, Judge Anthony Kennedy. Media pundits all over the web have hailed that Judge Roberts has saved the court from being seen as the judicial branch of the Republican party with his reportedly last minute decision to go against the grain. Really??  This man thinks corporations are people!  Roberts hasn’t changed. We think this vote was just a bone being thrown to the public and he took one for Team GOP. After all, although the health insurance industry will have to change it’s ways(i.e. no more denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, spending 80% of the customers premium dollars on actual medical care, etc…), it still is getting 50 million more customers thanks to the law’s mandate (oops…tax). Besides, the individual mandate was originally a Republican idea (they were for it before they were agin’ it). When you consider Justice Scalia’s rant on the SB1070 dissent and Justice Kennedy’s surprising vicious dissent on Obamacare, you really can’t trust the Court especially when it’s loaded with right wing, activist judges. It means that in the future, on potentially contentious cases, the conservatives will continually point to Obamacare as proof that they aren’t political. Then they will proceed to decide like the GOP judicial branch that they are. Yep, Washington D.C. still stinks like cow patties on a hot summer day folks.

Chief Justice John Roberts basks in the afterglow of his decision to save the Supreme Court from itself with the passing of the Affordable Care Act.

 

The GOP’s War on Broccoli

It looks like the Supreme Court isn’t going to be kind to Obamacare and it looks like it’s because of that damn ‘judicial activism’ that gives Republicans hissy fits. Yes those CONservative activist judges have argued that the individual mandate is un-American which is weird because Republicans were for the individual mandate not too long ago. Even GOP Presidential candidate Spiff Romney was for it before he was against it. One CONservative activist judge, who is also Republican, has even stated that people shouldn’t be forced to buy health insurance because it would be like forcing people to eat broccoli.

What is it about Republicans and broccoli? This isn’t the first time the nutritious but bland tasting vegetable has been vilified by a well known Republican. Remember back during President George H.W. Bush’s term when he said how much he hated broccoli? Well, broccoli hating is back in vogue thanks to the Supreme Court, which is supposed to be composed of wise individuals who don’t let their politics affect their decisions. Hmmm… corporations are people, healthcare only for those who can afford it(very un-christian), strip searches for minor offenses… the GOP is right after all: activist judges are ruining this country. Just in case you’re keeping track at home, the new things the GOP wants you to be afraid of: people wearing hoodies, broccoli and …sinister music please…Obamacare.

Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, who is also a conservative Republican, warns Americans of the latest threats to our liberty and freedom.